A widow who received a £340,000 negligence pay-out from the NHS over her husband's death has vowed to continue a seven-year legal wrangle, arguing the settlement does not take into account the impact on their children.
Nicola Bayless has been fighting the Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital ever since the death of her husband Stephen on April 24, 2016.
Mr Bayless died of an acute aortic dissection, the signs of which were missed by staff at the N&N just six days earlier when he was treated for severe chest pains.
Mrs Bayless launched a clinical negligence claim against the hospital following his death, with the trust admitting that had it caught condition when he was admitted on April 18, emergency surgery could have been carried out within 48 hours and saved him.
Three years of legal wrangling resulted in Mrs Bayless receiving a settlement of £340,000 in 2019.
Four years on though and Mrs Bayless, of Happisburgh, is continuing to fight the hospital trust.
The latest twist of the saga centres around the lasting impact the skateboarding enthusiast's death has had on the pair's two children - aged 20 and 15.
Both children now suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder, having witnessed their father's death at their family home.
The hospital trust has argued the 2019 settlement resolved the case, while Mrs Bayless says it did not account for the impact on her children.
In December last year, Mrs Bayless and the children launched a new damages claim against the hospital, which trust bosses attempted to block.
However, this week, a High Court judge ruled in Mrs Bayless' favour - opening the door for a new claim to be made.
Mrs Bayless, said: "It feels as though the hospital is trying to play games with me - it has been absolutely horrible fighting them.
"Both of my children are incredibly traumatised by what happened - it was them that found him in the garden and that will stay with them forever.
"It has essentially ruined their lives."
At the time of the settlement in 2019, Mrs Bayless's solicitors explained that the claims for the children's injury were not ready - but that Mrs Bayless's could be resolved.
Mrs Bayless accepted the £340,000 settlement - with the hospital also paying for her legal costs.
The mother-of-two is a registered nurse of more than 20 years, but says the ordeal has resulted in her "losing all faith in the NHS".
A spokesman for the NNUH said: "Our deepest condolences are with the family of Mr Bayless following their loss and we wish to repeat our sincere apologies for the missed opportunity to diagnose the seriousness of his condition.
"We can confirm that following an application made by the Trust and subsequently withdrawn, a High Court judge has ordered that legal costs are paid to Mrs Bayless' solicitor.
"As there are ongoing legal proceedings, we can not comment further.
"Our trust is committed to investigating all patient safety incidents, to enable us to identify learning and actions which are then shared with our teams.
"This focus is always to build upon and improve the quality of care and experience for our patients and their families."
Mrs Bayless added: "I just want to get the whole thing resolved for the sake of my kids.
"They will always need to receive help and support."
Meanwhile, the 48-year-old paid tribute to her late husband, who she described as a "lovely guy".
She said: "He was a skateboarder, a welder and a great dad.
"He loved life, lived a healthy lifestyle, so his death came completely out of the blue."
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